OneNote - Broken Notebook & Sections

Question

OneNote - Broken Notebook & Sections

MS 0

I have had 2 instances of OneNote telling me that my notebook and/or section is broken, and to copy it to another notebook. It's told me that a backup has been created, but no such backup exists in OneDrive.

This is one error message it's posting:
OneNote can't connect to the server. Sync will resume once we connect. You don't need to take any action. (Error code: 0xE4010641 c12qc)

Another error message:
SYNC STOPPED This notebook is in read-only mode because it is broken. A backup has been created. To continue editing, please copy the content into a new notebook and close this one.

Why is this happening? How can I prevent it?

0 comments

1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Protect any unsynced notes first, then open the notebook in OneNote for the web and copy recoverable content into a new notebook; the “backup” mentioned by OneNote is normally a local backup, not a separate notebook in OneDrive.

Recover the notebook safely

Do not sign out, reinstall OneNote, clear its cache, or close the broken notebook until unsynced content has been copied. Microsoft warns that those actions can lose changes that exist only on this PC.^1^

In desktop OneNote, select File > Info.
Under the affected notebook, right-click the displayed notebook URL and select Copy.
Paste that URL into a browser and open it.
Compare the web notebook with the desktop copy, particularly the newest pages:
- Everything is present online: the stored notebook is intact; proceed to “Reconnect the desktop app.”
- Recent content is missing online but visible in desktop OneNote: create a new notebook and copy, rather than move, the affected pages or sections into it.
- Only one section is affected: create a new section, right-click each page in the damaged section, select Move or Copy, and copy it to the new section. Press Shift+F9 and wait for synchronization to finish.^1^

For an entirely read-only notebook, create a new OneDrive notebook and copy sections or pages into it. Verify that the new notebook opens in the browser and contains the latest content before closing the old notebook.

Locate the backup

A OneNote desktop backup is normally stored locally. It does not automatically appear as another notebook in OneDrive.

In OneNote, select File > Info > Open Backups.
Open the folder for the affected notebook.
Open the newest .one section files and review them under Open Sections.
Right-click a recovered section or page and select Move or Copy, select the new notebook, and choose Copy.^2^

For the Windows desktop version, the default Windows 10 location is:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\<version>\Backup

The configured location is shown under File > Options > Save & Backup > Backup Folder.^3^

If this occurred while migrating from OneNote for Windows 10, use current OneNote on Windows, then check File > Info > Open Backups. Microsoft’s migration recovery guidance also identifies Backup and Backup_UserInitiated folders and .one files as backed-up sections.^4^

Reconnect the desktop notebook

Only after preserving unsynced notes:

In File > Info, copy the notebook URL.
Select the notebook’s Settings button and then Close.
Open the copied URL in the browser.
In OneNote for the web, select Open in Desktop App.

This rebuilds the desktop app’s connection to the online notebook.^1^

Why it happened

Error 0xE4010641 specifically means OneNote could not reach the notebook’s network location. Microsoft lists intermittent network/server connectivity and an unavailable OneDrive, SharePoint, or network location as possible reasons.^5^

That error alone does not establish why OneNote subsequently classified the notebook as broken. The read-only state prevents further edits while its local and server copies cannot be reconciled. Check File > Info > View Sync Status to identify whether the failure concerns the whole notebook or one section.

Reduce the chance of recurrence

Keep File > Options > Sync > Sync notebooks automatically enabled.
After substantial edits, use File > Info > View Sync Status and ensure synchronization completes before shutting down or changing devices.
Configure independent desktop backups under File > Options > Save & Backup. Choose a secondary drive, USB device, or private network folder, set an appropriate backup frequency, and periodically select Back Up All Notebooks Now.^6^
If the app is specifically named OneNote for Windows 10, migrate to OneNote on Windows. The older app reached end of support in October 2025 and becomes read-only.^7^

If the notebook cannot be opened in the browser and no usable local backup exists, retain the affected PC and its OneNote data unchanged while contacting Microsoft Support; do not reset or uninstall the application first.

References